Clone Wars Figure Rumors/Speculation

[Taliax]

I'm kinda bummed that Adi Gallia wasn't on the list - I wonder if we'll ever get her. She's been on so many episodes of the show by now, and from the previews she's also set to be in Season 4. I am glad that Saessee Tin and Even Piell made the line-up, though.

Hasbro has said in the past that female figures don't sell, even though Aayla Secura, Shaak Ti, and others are near impossible to get now. I was lucky to buy 2 of each, and would buy 2 of Adi Gallia as well.

[Pete_Fett]

Ok - I didn't want to start a new thread - so I thought I would comment (once again) about this here....

Hasbro's Case Assortments Suck

I was just looking at their Wave 10, 11 & 12 (what we have listed in our checklist as waves 23, 24 & 25) cases that are listed at EE and here is the disturbing break-down...

If you buy one of each case, you'll end up with 19 of the 36 figures being a figure from Wave 9 (our wave 22) or later.

In those 19, you will only get multiples of TWO figures - Rex w/Jet Pack (x2) and Shirtless Savage Opress (x3). So you are only getting 16 "new" figures total.

I'm also including in those "new", Hondo who is a re-release but this is the first time he's come out on a SotDS cardback and the long awaited Commander Jet. The one figure you end up getting from Wave 9 (22) is Clone Commander Colt.

So what about the remaining 17 figures? In that batch you will end up with multiples of FOUR figures - Super Battledroid (x2), Season 3 Anakin (x3), Clone Commander Wolfe (x2) and Yoda (x2). You will also end up with one each of Mace Windu, Battledroid, Cody, El Les, R2-D2, Destroyer Droid and the Aqua Battledroid.


What is the most shocking to me is that you end up with ANY carry-forward figures in duplicate when you don't even end up with doubles of 14 out of the 16 "new" figures in these three waves. Never mind the fact that NONE of the army builders even show up more than once.

Of course the added salt to the wound is that I could walk into a number of local stores in my area and still buy Season 3 Anakin, R2, El Les, a Super Battledoid, a Battledroid, a Destroyer Droid, Yoda and Mace Windu all w/o any effort at all. The only rehases that seem worth-while are Wolfe and the Aqua Battledroid.

When is enough going to be finally enough? Hey Hasbro, how about taking away those extras of Savage Opress or Rex w/Jet Pack and replacing them with the all-white ARF Trooper, we REALLY need more of him out at retail. 

I hope that every collector who is attending SDCC reads DeRetard the riot act.

This line is going to fail under the weight of the carry-forward figures that they seem insistent on putting into every case.

What would be the harm in having more collector oriented case packs that could be sold by EE, BBTS or even HTS?

Instead of this:
1x CW20 Mace Windu
1x CW16 Super Battle Droid
1x CW19 Battle Droid
1x CW38 Clone Commander Jet
1x CW41 Hevy in Training Armor
1x CW47 El-Les
1x CW45 Anakin
1x CW55 Savage Opress (shirtless)
1x CW53 Plo Koon (cold weather gear)
1x CW39 Hondo Onaka (91285/87638)
1x CW56 ARF Trooper (Kamino)
1x CW05 Yoda

Give us this:
3x CW38 Clone Commander Jet
2x CW55 Savage Opress (shirtless)
2x CW53 Plo Koon (cold weather gear)
2x CW39 Hondo Onaka (91285/87638)
3x CW56 ARF Trooper (Kamino)

And instead of this:
1x CW27 R2D2 (87664/87638)
1x CW45 Anakin
1x CW46 Aqua Battle Droid
1x CW48 Clone Commander Wolfe
1x CW55 Savage Opress (shirtless)
1x CW57 Stealth Ops Clone
1x CW54 Saesee Tiin
1x CW60 Kit Fisto (cold weather gear)
1x CW61 Seripas
1x CW62 Rex (jet pack)
1x CW03 Commander Cody
1x CW05 Yoda

Give us this:
1x CW55 Savage Opress (shirtless)
3x CW57 Stealth Ops Clone
2x CW54 Saesee Tiin
2x CW60 Kit Fisto (cold weather gear)
2x CW61 Seripas
2x CW62 Rex (jet pack)

And instead of this:
1x CW16 Super Battle Droid
1x CW45 Anakin
1x CW48 Clone Commander Wolfe
1x CW52 Red Leader ARC Trooper
1x CW55 Savage Opress (shirtless)
1x CW62 Rex (jet pack)
1x CW63 Kashyyyk Warrior
1x CW58 Jedi Even Piell
1x CW59 Savage Opress (armored)
1x CW64 R7-D4 Plo Koon Astromech
1x CW65 Jar Jar (87957/87638)
1x CW04 Destroyer Droid

Give us this:
1x CW52 Red Leader ARC Trooper
1x CW62 Rex (jet pack)
2x CW63 Kashyyyk Warrior
2x CW58 Jedi Even Piell
2x CW59 Savage Opress (armored)
2x CW64 R7-D4 Plo Koon Astromech
2x CW65 Jar Jar (87957/87638)

This isn't rocket science, it's putting your newest product into the hands of people who WANT IT.

[Darby]

I agree, and esepcially on figures like the ARF Trooper - who will be on the pegs when the line ends - give us something else.  The issue is that Hasbro, rightly, wants the main/hot characters available all the time for moms and dads and kids.  Absolutely they need to do this.  If a kid goes in looking for Anakin or Obi or Yoda, and only sees El-Les, it's a problem.  The other side of it is that the line is cooling and so is the market for figures - the line does not sell through near what it once did and all those carry forwards are logjamming.  It's a catch 22.  Stores won't order cases of 2X El-Les and 3 other backgrounders, especially when the line isn't so hot. 

Hasbro needs to refigure the cases though.  This goes for both vintage and CW.  Half and half, and rotate things.  Get as much variety as you can, keep it fresh.  Repack all you want to, but have it make sense.

Example:

Case 1:

Yoda
Anakin
Obi Wan
R2D2
Battle Droid
Clone Trooper
New Guy
New Guy
New Guy
New Guy
New Guy
New Guy

Case 2:
Mace Windu
Count Dooku
C-3PO
Super Battle Droid
Ahsoka
General Grievous
New Guy
New Guy
New Guy
New Guy
New Guy
New Guy

[Pete_Fett]

That is specifically why I mentioned that they need assortment ratios meant specifically for selling online to collectors from the likes of Entertainment Earth, Big Bad Toy Store and even Hasbro Toy Shop. They used to do this, I am extremely confused why they don't return to that model again.

I'm not saying that Target, WalMart or even Toys R Us want the case packs I'm advocating - let them have the ridiculous ratios that leave them sitting on 50 Anakins and 1000 ARF Troopers when the line ends.

Supposedly, when the collector-friendly case assortments ended, it was because the big box stores pressured Hasbro to stop offering them so that collectors would be driven back into the stores looking for product.

The only thing that really did was hurt the online folks. I would not be surprised to find out that they order a lot less than they used to because no collector in his/her right mind is going to order a case with only four new figures and eight figures that they could easily pick up at a Clone Wars clogged Target or Toys R Us any day of the week.

Minimally, if you're not going to carry-forward the army builders, at least start putting doubles of them in their wave. 2x Riot Control Clone, 2x Kamino ARF Trooper, and 2x Stealth Ops Clone would all have done well at retail.

I know it appears that interest in Clones/Troopers is waning but if you really take time to look at the figures that are clogging the shelves it's - Rex, Cody and the all-white ARF Trooper (at least in my area). Sometimes you'll see an odd Clone Pilot or Cold Weather Rex, but most of the other clone variants have long since sold out. Most of the time you'll see Clones no more often than you would see Anakin or Obi-Wan (especially the season 3 version of Obi-Wan).

Perhaps they need to have a standing wave that the box stores can order. This would be a 12 figure mix of the core characters that kids are supposedly going to want. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Yoda, R2, Rex, Ventress, Battledroid, Super Battledroid, Destroyer Droid, Grievous and Cad Bane. Six good guys, six bad guys, a "play pattern" in a case.

Then every time a store gets new Clone Wars it could be one core-characters case and one "new figures" case. Limit the new characters wave to four figures each and pack them in the cases 3x each. It would appeal to both the collector who shops online AND the collector who likes to go into a store and every once and a while, a kid might actually want one or two of the figures in the "new figures" case.

Another option would be to move the "core" characters to battle-packs and mini-rig releases after the market has received the initial push of that character's figure. So for example, go ahead and put Anakin in a battle-pack or with a deluxe mini vehicle. If a kid wants Anakin badly enough, mommy will either get him the battle-pack OR the deluxe set and that kid who really just wanted a $8 item was just bought a $20 item instead.

The one thing I know for sure - it's a good thing that none of those cases I listed below contain the Season 3 Obi-Wan figure, that figure is EVERYWHERE and never needs to ship again.

[Darby]

For real on S3 Obi Wan.  Instant pegwarmer.

I agree with your points on the army builders.  It's silly not to double up on figures you don't go back to in case assortments.  The online trend to buy everything there is probably affecting store sales too, but it can't be too much with SW as you said, the assortments are anti-collector.  I do think moving the core characters out of the assortments to elsewhere wouldn't work - mismanaging this aspect has hurt nearly every line of longevity (best example: Simpsons).

Great points.  Hopefully Hasbro is listening.

[McMetal]

The other advantage to those proposed case ratios is that it would GREATLY increase your chances of actually finding the new figures on the pegs. Most stores typically get in ONE case at a time for some reason, so if one person gets there before you they're wiped out and you get nothing. And then God knows how long it will be until the NEXT case shows up.

Having multiples of the new figures helps to insure that they get proper saturation in the marketplace.

[Scockery]

We think in collector terms. Some main players/standard army builders should reship, but not at 2/3rds of a case more like 1/3. And since new figures are usually one per case, collectors scoop them up, so there's certain characters kids or their parents never see. And that's a shame, too. It doesn't foster a new generation of collectors.

With a new Rex coming, the old mold needs to be completely retired. Cody needs a hiatus, too until he gets a new figure. And there's newer ARF Troopers, as well.

[Pete_Fett]

We think in collector terms. Some main players/standard army builders should reship, but not at 2/3rds of a case more like 1/3. And since new figures are usually one per case, collectors scoop them up, so there's certain characters kids or their parents never see. And that's a shame, too. It doesn't foster a new generation of collectors.

The key word in your sentence above is "reship" - the problem is if you look at the case assortments starting with the Riot Control Clone Trooper wave - on top of the fact that the figure is not packed more than once in the case, the figure itself NEVER reships in a future case.

It really shouldn't be both - one shot and out AND 1 per case. The 1 per case model works only if you do something like this:

Wave 1:
8 - "Greatest Hits" Characters
4 - New Figures for Wave 1

Wave 2:
4 - "Greatest Hits" Characters
4 - New Figures from Wave 1 carried into Wave 2
4 - New Figures for Wave 2

Wave 3:
4 - "Greatest Hits" Characters
4 - New Figures from Wave 2 carried into Wave 3
4 - New Figures for Wave 3

Then at least there are at least two shots at getting the new figures. Like McMetal said - if you have a store near you and they get in one case of the Riot Control Clone Trooper wave and a collector beats you to the case, you're done.

With the line going soft like some people are speculating, now really shouldn't be the time for them to start frustrating the few collectors they do have.

[McMetal]

Ok so far at SDCC, we got confirmation of what the Mandalorian Gunship will look like, and that's about it as far as anything new. Did I miss something?

Nice to see the Flitknot Speeder again, but that dates back to ToyFair.

Artillery Cannon? Fall Waves 1-3? Good to see some new unpackaged photos, but certainly no surprises.

I think the Vintage collection on display had a little more Zazz again this year. Who saw that Trench run UBP coming?

[Jesse James]

If that trench pack is "Zazz" then I guess I've maybe lost any love for the hobby.

Seriously it's nothing I dont' already have 10 x over, so that makes a nice boxed set but nothing I really want.  You're not alone in (so far) feeling a little underwhelmed, but it is only preview night.

[McMetal]

I know, I'm sure there is plenty of good stuff yet to come. I guess by "zazz" I mean more of the surprise factor. I hadn't heard any rumblings about a new UBP prior to SDCC so they did a pretty good job keeping that one under wraps.

The Mando Gunship is a cool reveal, but was slightly spoiled as we know about its existence before the actual unveiling. If that had not leaked, I definitely would have been wowed.

[Nicklab]

Overall there's nothing all that surprising to be seen.  But Hasbro always does hold something back for a big reveal at their panel on Friday.  If they fail to have anything worthwhile to show on Friday, THEN I'll be disappointed.

[Jeff]

I know the mantra is supposed to be "females don't sell", but what are the chances that Katee Sackhoff's Female Death Watch Commando does end up with a figure?  50/50?  Maybe better odds give she's a mando warrior and not an old librarian?

[Jayson]

I know the mantra is supposed to be "females don't sell", but what are the chances that Katee Sackhoff's Female Death Watch Commando does end up with a figure?  50/50?  Maybe better odds give she's a mando warrior and not an old librarian?

Yep, and that Snow Bunny Ahsoka too. 

[Nicklab]

Hasbro does love their Mando's after all.